Month: April 2025

From Finn’s Forest 23 #writingcommunity #poetry #forest #writing

This year, we’ve seen an unusual number of pinecones dropping. I cleaned them up once already. From what I’ve read, they are more likely to drop in the fall, but some do in spring. We did have a very mild winter with rain that came in large amounts, with dry periods in between. Perhaps the pines are confused, or it’s what they call the mast year, where they overproduce. Either way, there are a lot of pinecones, and I hope it doesn’t mean insects are to blame for it. But it always gets me to think about not only the health of our forest, but how being in it can bring us health too.

So, yes, I’ll be out there raking once again and clearing the area for my fairies’ town to return. I may want to wear a hat, though, so I don’t get hit by one. Wondering about nature and my surroundings not only inspires stories but also poetry. Something I haven’t done in a while is to share some poems or even write them as I wonder…

Memorizing woods

Winds carry ancient wisdom

Planting future seeds

Clear minds, silent woods

In our peaceful surrender

Miracles abound

NOTE: There will be no posts here for the next two weeks as I will be on vacation. Will be back May 13th for my book reviews.

Also on my website there is a button for D. L. Finn’s Gratitude Store. I’d love if you dropped by and shared it. Maybe visit the store and tell me what you think.

Embrace your inner child by reading a good book! D. L. Finn (Denise)

#CreativePerspectiveChallenge Four Results #jansikes #yvettecalleiro #tankaprose #flashfiction #poetry #writingcommunity

Have you enjoyed the stories from the image as much as I have? If you missed any, the list of participating authors is below.

Jan Sikes: LINK

Yvette Calleiro: LINK

This month I went with a tanka prose for the image.

The Escape

It was just me and Sadie, my horse. Only my backpack held what remained of my life. This left me with a change of clothes, soap, lip gloss, lotion, family pictures, my mother’s jewelry, a journal, a pen, and a map. My saddlebags had already been packed and were ready to be put on Sadie. Dried fruit, jerky, coffee, a water filter, and bullets filled them. I had the sleeping bag, cooking pot, cup, full canteen, and tent tied to the back of the saddle. My gun was on my hip, ready to use. I knew how to live off the land, and that was what I was going to do. There was now a day’s ride between me and the house that was fully engulfed in flames as I rode over the ridge. No one followed me, perhaps believing I was trapped in the fire or wasn’t important enough to chase. The rest of the horses were released. I hoped they would find safety, but that’s all I could offer them when the worst-case scenario happened. There had been just enough time to get away after the alarms were triggered. Tonight, Sadie and I will settle down by the creek and rest. There will be no fire tonight, just to be safe. I hope to find others like me along the way as we head north to what should offer safety and a place to start over.

enemies at door

my house the casualty

on horse, I escaped

freedom, a long ride away

I’m guided by hope and truth

The next challenge is a week later than normal, as I will be on vacation. So watch for it on May 20th.

Embrace your inner child by challenging yourself! D. L. Finn

 

#CreativePerspectiveChallenge Four! #flashfiction #poetry #writingcommunity #writingchallenge

Welcome to the fourth Creative Perspective Challenge! I’ve been enjoying not only all the amazing and creative pieces everyone has been coming up with but the push it’s given me to create, too.

Here is this month’s image. I hope you join in, I  look forward to seeing what you come up 🙂

Horse and Woman Silhouette at Sunset by cocoparisienne from pixabay

Embrace your inner child by exploring your creativity! D. L. Finn (Denise)

New Release! Reuben Hayes by Sandra Cox #sandracox #mustread #newrelease #writingcommunity

I’m thrilled to have Sandra Cox here today to share her latest release, Reuben Hayes. Another book I couldn’t put down. Here’s the link for the review: LINK

The tough middle-aged rancher had only ever loved one woman. And now her daughter stood on his doorstep.

Blurb:

A young woman shows up at the Hayes’ ranch, bringing bad news and danger.
Sage Baylor is the daughter of the only woman Reuben ever loved. Now she’s on his doorstep, bringing with her the news her mother is dead. Shortly after her arrival, her father, the Honorable Senator Baylor from Missouri, arrives. That’s when bullets start flying.
Both the senator and Sage are in danger from an unknown source. When the senator leaves, he tasks Reuben with keeping his daughter safe. Help comes from an unexpected source in the form of an engaging young gunslinger. Between the two men, and Reuben’s crusty ole cook, they’ll keep the Senator’s daughter safe. No matter the peril. No matter the cost.

Excerpt:

Reuben clapped heels to his big Appaloosa.

Once outside the trampled branding area, more tufts of scruffy grass sprang up in the red caliche soil along with yellow and blue wild flowers. Persistent carroty-colored dust spurted in the air with every thump of his horse’s large hooves. The rosy hues of the morning sky reflected on canyon walls, turning them a soft pinkie color, as alluring as a beautiful woman. Texas was harsh and survival wasn’t easy, but he loved her passionately. More than he’d loved any woman—with the exception of one.

Forty minutes later, he galloped down a low ridge where his rangy ranch house nestled in the center of a wide canyon that ranged five miles or better across. The sun hit the white poplar that loomed over the east side of the house and turned the leaves silver, flashing a halo of color on the pine-stained planks of the structure. A river rock chimney rose on the opposite side. Impatience warred with chest-swelling pride as he rode into his valley and saw his ranch.

But much as he enjoyed the view, he needed to get back to the roundup.

He swung out of the saddle, tied the Appaloosa to the hitching post in front of the house, and tromped inside.

“Soggy,” he hollered as he veered toward the living area then ground to a halt, his boot heels digging into the pine planks of the floor.

His legs froze. His breath caught.

A young woman stood in front of the large, river rock fireplace, gazing up at a painting of the ranch that he’d wheedled Alexandria O’Malley into doing after he’d seen her work displayed around the Silverhills’ ranch house. The painter had caught the wild feel of the valley in the middle of a ferocious thunderstorm. The ranch house, the solid in the midst of chaos and danger, as lightning struck to the right of it. But the painting wasn’t what held his attention now.

The hair on the back of his neck rose and his fingers pricked. He hadn’t seen her in near nineteen years but even with her back to him, he’d recognize her anywhere. She wore a black silk dress that fit her like a glove and looked more stylish than what one normally saw in these parts. She hadn’t aged a day.

How was that possible when he looked like a piece of old cowhide, leathery and tough? The woman who haunted him, still had the same slender figure and the same wild mane of glossy chestnut hair, now sleek and smoothed at the nape of her neck instead of in disarray around her shoulders.  The warm scent of lavender that always enveloped her drifted his way.

Character Facts for Soggy (Reuben’s cook)

Cantankerous with a heart of gold.

He’s known for his cinnamon rolls.

He been with Reuben since Reuben was a young man and fusses over him like a hen with one chick.

Soggy’s full name is Horace Eugene Winthrop

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Reuben-Hayes-S-Cox-ebook/dp/B0DWQBGT88

Bio:

Sandra, who writes as both S. Cox and Sandra Cox, is an animal lover and avid gardener. She spent a number of years in the Midwest chasing down good Southern BBQ. By the time she moved to North Carolina where Southern BBQ is practically a staple, she’d become a vegetarian.

She and her husband are ruled by four cats and a dog. An award-winning author, her stories consist of all things Western and more.

Sandra can be found at http://www.sandracoxwriter.com

OR http://www.cowboytrivia.blogspot.com

OR https://sandracox.blogspot.com

OR https://www.pinterest.com/scoxauthor/

OR https://www.bsky.app @scoxauthor

OR Amazon.com: Sandra Cox: books, biography, latest update

April Book Reviews! #SandraCox #LindaBroday #KimSilvers #KarenBlack #charlesffrench #bookreviews #whattoread #writingcommunity

Here are the great books I read in March that were four stars and higher. Click on the book titles for the Amazon link.

Reuben Hayes

By S. Cox

Reuben has the perfect life. He lives in Texas and loves his ranch. The only thing haunting him is he let go of the one woman he loved. A young woman, Sage, surprised him by appearing with a letter from her mother, the woman he loved, who had died. Sage ends up staying with him on the ranch. She is free-spirited and has her mother’s touch with horses but has his gray eyes. When he finds out about her father, the senator doesn’t know where she is, he insists she telegraph him. Sage runs into a man named Hawk who saves her from being run over by an out-of-control horseback rider. Hawk, a gunslinger, ends up working on the ranch. A spark develops between Sage and Hawk. Her father shows up and gives Reuben some unsettling information. It falls on Reuben to keep Sage safe while he looks into what has put her and her father in danger. I love the vibrant settings. I can picture myself riding along with the characters and enjoying the views. The relationship that developed between Sage and Reuben was touching and, at times, funny. Sage and Hawk had a spark that he seemed to back away from, but I was rooting for them and for Reuben to keep his family safe. A story told from a parental perspective that takes us into the Old West. There is romance, family, gunslingers, and a wild horse who captures Sage’s attention. I can highly recommend this well-told story.

Creek: (Gun For Hire Sweet Western Romance Series Book 1)

by Linda Broday (Author), DMR Editing (Editor)

Gunslinger, Creek, is heading into town at the request of a dying woman who was kind to him as a boy in an orphanage run by a cruel priest. On the way into town, he saves a young girl, Willa, from a gang of boys. He gets her safely back to her beautiful guardian and now the girl believes he is her real father. Despite his desire for family life, his lifestyle was incompatible with it. Although a fast read and I read it in one setting, it was a satisfying read with many layers. I loved the relationship between Creek and Willa as they bonded, even though he didn’t want to. There were a couple of twists I didn’t expect, though I had a feeling about one of them. The setting in lawless El Paso drew me in, but it was the characters that held my heart—and one I found easy to hate, too. I was rooting for Creek to not only find out the truth about his birth mother but also some peace after his cruel treatment as a child. A fantastic read I can easily recommend!

The Christmas Ghost: An Investigative Paranormal Society Adventure

Charles F French

This is a quick read centered on a ghost haunting an orphanage. A group of paranormal investigators, all but one retired, decide to help rid a ghost of disturbing children during the Christmas season. Although this story is between the first and second book, it was easy to follow. I especially liked Roosevelt, who had lost his holiday spirit after his wife passed. This became a story of not only ghost hunting but also of finding that spark again. I’m curious about the other stories now, and I’d like to get to know the characters better. While it’s ideal for Christmas, it’s a fun read year-round, as I discovered.

Long Stories Short

By Karen Black

A great collection of short stories that take you from the edge of the paranormal to reality. Many stories had me on the edge of my seat, and a few surprised me with an unexpected twist. Several subjects were covered, including spousal abuse, a grieving widow finding shelter in a storm, Bigfoot, a Ouija board, a day on a boat, accidents, house fires, animal loyalty, and being hunted. I especially enjoyed “Indisputable Evidence,” which surprised me and offered the love of a pet in a dangerous situation. Another was “Unintended Consequences,” and the heartache following wrong assumptions that ruined a happy family yet offered a more hopeful ending. This is a collection I can easily recommend for those who enjoy scary stories with some unpredictable endings.

Broken Rhodes

By Kimber Silver

Kinsley comes home after her grandfather is murdered and wants answers. Lincoln is her grandfather’s neighbor, friend, and the town’s sheriff. Despite initial conflict, they remain committed to identifying the murderer. Kinsley’s past traumatic event comes back to haunt her in the small town, triggering her distrust and emotions. Lincoln seems to have some secrets of his own from his past. Although I didn’t like the sheriff at first, he grew on me. Kinsley is strong and successful, but to many people from her past, she is still that teenager who left their town behind. As Kinsley and Lincoln’s friendship grows, it becomes obvious the killer still wants something. A steamy romance starts to bloom in the middle of twists, secrets revealed, corrupt officials, bullies, a killer, and dealing with the past. A story I can easily recommend, especially if you enjoy romance mixed in with mystery and suspense in a small-town setting.

Next week: Creative Perspective Challege

Embrace your inner child with the gift of a good book! D. L. Finn